GLOBAL LIVE PROJECT : PART 1
- Serrell Tafari
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Updated: May 22
INTRODUCTION
We’ve reached the final collaborative project of the year: the Global Live Brief, themed “What Makes a Home?” For this project, I’ll be exploring the idea of nature as a home, through the lens of solar-punk and cosmopolitanism. Working with students in Kyiv and Chicago, I’ll draw from both personal influences and international perspectives to bring concepts to life using creative technology; taking my digital modelling skills to a more professional level. We will experiment a lot with complex ideas, software, and new approaches —acknowledging the successes and the challenges. I am proud of what we've accomplished, learned, and will carry these experiences forward into next year.
WEEK 1 : 03.03.25
I took notes from a long and interesting discussion I had with Lauren (our new lecturer) and some of my classmates.
04.03.25
TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HOME MEANS TO ME?
After I got home I glimpsed back at old artwork I made when I was 16 or17 which relates to my personal connection with home revolving around family - origins - identity.
FIGMA
FEEL FREE TO READ MY THOUGHTS:
07.03.25
WYRE FOREST TRIP
WEEK 2 : 10.03.25
NATURE AS A HOME
WHY DID I CHOOSE NATURE?
Once we narrowed down the themes I struggled to decide which group to join - comfort or nature. Despite that, I found myself naturally contributing ideas to the nature theme without overthinking. For me winter isn't the most pleasant, it comes with health issues, but now that we are entering springtime I've found a lot of comfort and peace because of nature - from my garden, forests or out and about. I love hearing the birds chirp, the feeling of suns warmth, longer days, flowers booming - it feels like a natures speaking to me again. This influenced my decision to join Nature Group (duo) with Sydney.
(NOTE)
The theme “what makes a home” is broad. My initial thoughts were mainly unrelated to my pitch and more-so related to family and identity; their stories, my homeland and my relationship to both. But It felt much to say to my class, so I stepped back last minute to rethink and proposed an interactive app idea instead, which ironically in the end our group would create an unrelated kind of interactive app.
BUILDING UPON NATURE
FIGMA LINK: https://www.figma.com/board/VmKy4IWTHBExNxbK4KRBRg/What-makes-a-home?node-id=0-1&t=Eb5ZLdmNiWdWLrfA-1
We initially approached the Figma board from different directions. Syd likes literature so she asked open questions about nature , then drew from poetry and literary texts, selecting fragments and passages that felt meaningful. At first, I didn’t realise these were her own personal reflections rather than direct quotes from the authors. My approach was more rooted in research topics and a mix of ideas. I used the board to explore these fragments of knowledge and connect them to themes like spirituality, technology, and human experience. We also spoke about our personal geographies - how nature looks and feels in her environment compared to mine, to understand each other's perspectives.
DESIGN AS AN ATTITUDE
PERSONAL REFLECTION:
Reading about Moholy-Nagy’s view that design is an attitude and not just a profession, made me consider what it means to be a designer. It’s not just about making things look good, it’s about being creative, resourceful, and socially aware. The idea that design belongs to everyone also stood out. Good design should be accessible, especially in times of crisis, design becomes essential. It has to be fast, practical, and focused on real human needs. The fact that 1 in 2 people forget to take medication in time is a crazy statistic and poses a big issue, yet a designer created a unique and effective solution to minimise that issue. These readings reminded me that design isn’t about perfection, it’s about care, responsibility, and making a difference where it’s needed most.
WEEK 3 : 17.03.25
IDENTITY AND POSITIONALLY
METHODOLOGIES BY LAUREN
PHOTOS OF KYIV BIRMINGHAM AND CHICAGO THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
